OSCAAR Modifieds
Year-in-Review: 3rd-place/Rookie-of-the-Year Davey Terry
By Clayton Johns (@cjohnsmedia)
After an extended absence from the Ontario racing scene, Davey Terry (#14 Wasteco/Brennan Haulage/Keeler Electric Toyota) had very few growing pains in his move to a Troyer Modified in 2012. The native of Erin, ON had previous racing experience in a mini stock before moving up to the high horsepower open-wheeled division for the inaugural season. Terry, under the guidance of his father Peter Terry as his crew chief, had just two DNFs and finished every other race inside the top-ten.
Terry started the season with a ninth place finish in the inaugural race for the series at Sunset Speedway. He was collected in an early wreck at Barrie Speedway that ended his night, handing him an 11th-place finish, his only result in 2012 outside the top-ten.
The team battled through the adversity to have the car prepared for Peterborough Speedway’s Chase for the Colours on Canada Day. They were back inside the top-ten with an eighth-place finish, putting the team on a role through the rest of July.
Sauble Speedway was the sight of Terry’s first top-five finish as he rallied from a mid-pack starting position to finish fourth at the beach. He earned the same result at Varney Speedway on July 14th to make it two in a row inside the top-five.
A trio of sixth-place finishes in August had Terry in control of the Rookie-of-the-Year points lead, but closely followed by Tim Burke. The two trips to Delaware Speedway were a learning experience for the rookie who had never run at the historic London-area oval.
“(I’m) still trying to figure out the track. It’s just one of the things about being a rookie,” said Terry of Delaware. “Just more laps here would help a lot.”
Excited to return to the tight confines at Varney Speedway for the Rick Woolner Memorial after a successful first run in July, Terry was running well until the very last lap. As Gary McLean came to take the white flag, Terry was on the inside prepared to go down one lap. When the pair entered turn one, the front brake rotors on the #14 exploded, sending Terry up the track and in to the side of race leader McLean. McLean would spin to the top of turn two, and would be forced to restart at the tail end of the field, ending his bid for a tenth straight Woolner Memorial win.
“Unfortunately we took out Gary and ruined his chances at the Memorial. I feel terrible about it. I know what this race means to them and I feel really bad,” explained a clearly emotional Terry following the race.
“The likes of Davey Terry, probably one of the top, in my books, up-and-comers in the place,” said a disappointed Gary McLean following the mid-September race. “I knew instantly there was nothing he did wrong, that it wasn’t intentional.”
Terry would rebound from the incident at Varney with a second-place finish to McLean at Sunset Speedway’s Velocity weekend. Terry held the lead for a moment, before surrendering to McLean in the dying laps, but nonetheless happy for a clean race.
“I almost had him. We were getting in to each other, but that was just good racing,” said Terry. “This is exactly what we needed after last week and getting in to Gary.”
It was more of the same for Terry at Kawartha Speedway one week later as he earned his second podium finish in as many weeks, finishing to second to McLean once again.
That set the stage for the OSCAAR Modifieds’ debut at the 20th Autumn Colours Classic at Peterborough Speedway. Hoping to end the season with his first win, Terry would have to settle for his fifth and final top-five finish on the campaign in fifth-place.
While he fell just shy of winning his first race, Terry accomplished his goal of winning the 2012 Rookie-of-the-Year title. The team is hoping to earn that first win in Terry’s sophomore season in 2013.
“I think I’m happier than Gary is winning the championship,” said Terry following the race. “We exceeded every goal we had at the beginning of the season. It’s been such a great year. I’ve met a lot of great people. I can’t wait for next year.”
The OSCAAR Modified tour and its officials would like to congratulate Davey Terry on his Rookie-of-the-Year title and 3rd-place finish in the overall championship standings.
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